In light of the recent harassment scandal involving the Miami Dolphins, ESPN.com asked five analysts to offer perspective on the culture of NFL locker rooms and the treatment of younger players by veterans. ...

Here are our analysts' observations:

Herm EdwardsSpent 10 years as a player and eight years as a coach

In the 20 years I've coached, a situation like this has never happened. This would never happen on my watch because ground rules would be established. It should never get to the point where the coach has to step in. The veteran players in the locker room need to make sure this is not tolerated. It's not hard to get information from people like the trainer or equipment managers to figure out what's going on because they hear the conversations in the locker room. If anything arises, or someone is being bullied, it affects the entire team. Someone has to communicate these concerns to the coach.

Coaches can't control who wins or loses, but they can control the environment in the workplace.

Bill PolianSpent 24 years as a GM with the Bills, Panthers and Colts

I believe this situation is a failure on the players' part to exercise veteran leadership. They're the ones who see situations bubble up, and they know the genesis of it. When I was vice chairman of the Indianapolis Colts and general manager of the Buffalo Bills, we had a very strong position on it. Most of what would be called "rookie orientation" involves carrying vets' pads or buying donuts on Saturday mornings, but that's as far as it goes. The situation that has developed with the Miami Dolphins is on a more serious level.

With the Colts, we had a strong antihazing policy. It had less to do with social things but was more about functional efficiency. We didn't want any player to feel ostracized and it was enforced by veteran players. The coaches are not in the locker room, nor are they monitoring calls, texts or interactions off the field. Coaches and management give players their space. It's up to the athletes to uphold the values the organization stands for.

In a very dangerous and physical game, trust is paramount. If the trust is broken, the fabric of the team is broken.

Darren WoodsonPlayed 13 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys

Most teams have incidents in the locker room or on the practice field, but the onus is on the veteran leadership to take care of it. If it's really bad, the coaches and management should get involved.

Ultimately, it depends on the feel of the coach. I played with coach Bill Parcells, who really had the pulse of his team. He would bring things to us that we didn't realize as players and sometimes we'd do the same.

I encountered a little rookie hazing with the Dallas Cowboys, but when it goes too far, you let someone know. There will be a confrontation, it's dead and that's it.

Tim HasselbeckPlayed six seasons for several teams

It's inherent in the game that you have to work with one other. Guys can't do things by themselves.

If you have a situation where it's a fractured locker room, where guys don't like each other, where guys don't enjoy one another having success, where everyone's more concerned about themselves, it's a cancer that will erode your football team. ...

Merril HogePlayed eight seasons for several teams

The kind of behaviors that are being alleged in Miami are borderline childish. Those are different than anything I've ever seen, and I've seen bullying before.

This stuff in Miami is just off the charts. I just start thinking about the effort to do all that crap to another player. Who has the time? It's too much work. ...

So is that the reality of the Miami Dolphins, off the chart behavior and seemingly a total failure by coaches and players to handle what all of the other teams in the nfl have done since the inception of pro football or at least in recent memory? That seems to be the narrative that is being portrayed by some in the media.

I am not convinced that is what happened here. I don't think all of the story is out yet. I am biased in Miami's favor.

Mon Nov 04, 2013 10:49 pm

Haha

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Joined: Sun Sep 18, 2011 3:08 pmPosts: 375Location: Cincinnati

Re: 'Would never happen on my watch'

Yeah this is getting dumb. I don't see much of a story yet. I guess we'll have to wait and see what the NFL finds in it's investigation. I'm tired of hearing about this though. Let's beat Tampa.

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Mon Nov 04, 2013 10:52 pm

AQNOR

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Joined: Tue Jan 12, 2010 10:17 amPosts: 3866

Re: 'Would never happen on my watch'

Quote:

"I would just say he's a jokester kind of guy," Garrard said of Incognito, adding: "It's unfortunate. You never want it to get to a point where guys want to leave the team. You would hope other guys in the locker room would help police it. It's one of those situations that's sad to see."Garrard, released by the Dolphins at the end of the 2012 preseason, said he never noticed that type of culture in the Miami locker room.

Several players said they haven't experienced or witnessed any bullying in the Jets' locker room. There was a well-documented incident of rookie hazing in 2010, when several players tied a rookie defensive back named Brian Jackson to a goal post in training camp and doused him with ice, Gatorade and powder. It was captured on HBO's "Hard Knocks."

Once something like this breaks there is no stopping it.. it's like being accused of child abuse.. or spouse abuse..

Mr General public has already formed a thought that someone is guilty..... All we read about on facebook anymore is stories about bullies... (I won't even go into my thoughts on this) But a story like this leave a team and owner very few choices..

fans speak with there $ somethijg like this will cost you fans... either way you land your going to piss people off..

If richie was for real.. he is a racist and needs to be banned from the NFL

I think he was joking.. I think he joked with the wrong guy and I think he is going to pay for that for the rest of his time in the NFL.....

in the mean time.. Martin gets to walk with his paycheck ... We lose a pro bowler... .. The locker room is mess .. and we still have 1/2 a season to get through...

I think Martin has some real soc problems.. like Huge ones.. at any point of any of this he could have just said no..... talked to a coach.. ... (Our coach has said none of this was reported) till the NFL proves otherwise I am listening to our coach.....)

Our Owner is in a very bad spot... all he keeps doing is try to rebuild the team.. and yet all the damm drama.... every season it's some new thing to toss us in the media spot lite (at least were not the jets)

If he calls it for what it is and makes richie say sorry.. repay the 15k.. and take some courses in sensitivity training.... he is still going to have to deal with this for a long time to come.... Mia just got flagged as a place that loves to haze rookies....

Remember how hard the NFL is trying to target the ladies.. get some extra fans... well Our owner wanted in on that too.. and well There is no way you are gonna get all the football moms out there loving the phis when they are a bunch of bullies.....

The only fix for this is scape goats... Richie joking or not brought this down on the club.. he will be the first... I'd bet not the last...

and martin..... WOW this guy... I THINK he went along with all of it... I think deep down he was filled with hate ... I think whatever happened that day in the cafe.. took the whole thing over the top... The kid reacted by leaving.. then needed to figure out how to save his butt for leaving... and he decided it was time to pull out the stained dress he has been holding for just such a rainy day....

just my thoughts...

Tue Nov 05, 2013 12:56 pm

swerve13

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Joined: Sat Nov 27, 2010 12:52 amPosts: 7666Location: Lancaster, PA

Re: 'Would never happen on my watch'

Philbin is adament that Martin never mentioned these texts and voice mails when he met with him, and that he's only revealing them now. This is where I have a problem with all of this. Sure, punish Incognito, i'm fine with that. But to throw Philbin under the bus for this is not right.

Tue Nov 05, 2013 1:19 pm

swerve13

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Re: 'Would never happen on my watch'

it's telling that Danny Kanell is defending Incognito's position on SVP.He said he had teammates at FSU leave him voicemails that were worse than that but he knew it was in jest. Just busting his nuggets.

Ricky Williams also defended Incognito and said that he also got sick of football and left, but that he didn't use another player as a scapegoat when he left.

Tue Nov 05, 2013 1:27 pm

DevilInPgh

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Joined: Sun Sep 12, 2010 10:40 amPosts: 166

Re: 'Would never happen on my watch'

randylvc wrote:

I think Martin has some real soc problems.. like Huge ones.. at any point of any of this he could have just said no..... talked to a coach.. ... (Our coach has said none of this was reported) till the NFL proves otherwise I am listening to our coach.....)

I hope you were listening to Kup and Curtis today, because they were LAUGHING at the idea of talking to Philbin about it. They also feel that not only would Incognito have handed Martin his butt to him in a fight, but that the locker room would have sided with Incognito against Martin, just as they're doing right now. I'm telling you, there's something much more sinister that hasn't come out yet.

Tue Nov 05, 2013 2:00 pm

shularino

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Joined: Sat Feb 27, 2010 6:49 pmPosts: 1512Location: Charlotte, NC

Re: 'Would never happen on my watch'

I love all these talking heads, trying to say this would never happen on their watch...........particularly Edwards..........what a joke. Somebody needs to remind him that his '07 Chief Team lost 9 straight and finished 4-12. Again under his watch in '08, the team went 2-14. In the last 1.5 years of his Coaching Career this guy was 2-23.

I'm not sure to what degree the Coaching Staff or Veteran Players are to blame, but sometimes bad things happen and the fault lies strictly on those individuals involved.........Michael Vick runs a major dog-fighting ring for multiple years. The Pats Star Player may have murdered several people.........etc.

Tue Nov 05, 2013 2:24 pm

Big Dave

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Joined: Tue Jan 12, 2010 9:41 amPosts: 9748Location: Raleigh, NC

Re: 'Would never happen on my watch'

I'm getting tired of every NFL player, coach, and media writer chiming in on this saying what wouldn't have happened if they were here.